The North Essex Parking Partnership respects your privacy. The information that you provide us with, or that is gathered automatically helps us to monitor our service and provide you with the services that you are entitled to as a resident of North Essex or visitor to our website.
Please bear in mind that others may see any personal information that you submit through online discussion groups/forums. All other emails/forms are treated in the same way as other communications with the council. Emails to your elected representatives are confidential between yourself and your representative. Email parking@colchester.gov.uk if you have any questions or suggestions regarding privacy.
What is personal data?
Personal data means any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier.
This definition provides for a wide range of personal identifiers to constitute personal data, including name, identification number, location data or online identifier, reflecting changes in technology and the way organisations collect information about people.
What level of personal data is used?
The information that you provide us with, or that is gathered automatically helps us to monitor our service and provide you with the services that you are entitled to as a resident of North Essex or visitor to our website. We are required to collect the following information about you:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone numbers
- Email address
- Vehicle registration mark
- Payment information (Penalty Charge Notices and cashless parking accounts)
Why we use personal information?
The North Essex Parking Partnership will use your personal data for a limited number of purposes, and at all times within the rules set out in data protection legislation.
We will process personal data for the following purposes:
- For the purpose for which you provided the information. e.g. processing information given for a parking permit, and to monitor our performance in responding to your request.
- To allow us to be able to communicate and provide services appropriate to your needs.
- Where the processing is necessary to comply with its legal obligations, e.g. the enforcement of Penalty Charge Notices relating to parking contraventions.
- Where you have consented to the processing.
- Where necessary to protect individuals from harm or injury.
- To use your personal data, after it has been anonymised, to allow the statistical analysis of data to effectively target and plan the provision of services.
- To deliver services and support to you, to manage those services, to monitor the quality of services provided and to plan new and updated services.
- To train staff.
- Where we need to investigate any worries or complaints you have about your services.
The basis for the processing
The lawful basis for the processing of your personal data is’ legal obligation’.
Purpose for processing
The North Essex Parking Partnership requires the above information in order to provide a service to you and to enforce Penalty Charge Notices in regards to parking contraventions. We only request the minimum amount of information and ensure that is it stored securely within our preferred IT Parking and Traffic Management software and cashless parking solution.
Who may we share your information with?
We may share your personal information with a number of agencies in order to provide a service to you or for the detection/prevention of crime:
- DVLA to obtain registered keeper details
- Traffic Penalty Tribunal when a case is appealed
- Essex Police (or other Police forces if necessary) to aid in their enquiries
- Enforcement Agents, to recover debt if a Penalty Charge Notice is not paid
- Traffic Enforcement Centre (Northampton County Court bulk centre)
- IT Parking and Traffic Management software providers – To monitor, capture, and process the imagery.
- British Parking Association
- International Parking Community
- Local Government Association
- National Persistent Evader Database
As the lead authority for the North Essex Parking Partnership, we process parking information for the following organisations;
- Public authority members of the North Essex Parking Partnership (Tendring etc)
- Parish Council’s
- Essex County Council
We may, on occasion, share non-personal aggregated information to these third parties. Sometimes we have a legal duty to give information about people. This is often because we must give that information to courts. We may also share your personal information when we feel there is a good reason that is more important than protecting your confidentiality. This does not happen often, but we may share your information:
- for the detection and prevention of crime/fraudulent activity; or
- if there are serious risks to the public, our staff or to other professionals;
- to protect a child; or
- to protect adults who are thought to be at risk, for example if they are frail, confused or cannot understand what is happening to them.
The law does not allow us to share your information without your permission, unless there is proof that someone is at risk. This risk must be identified as being serious before we can go against your right to confidentiality.
Wherever possible we will only use anonymised, pseudonymised or de-personalised information. We do not sell personal information to any other organisation for the purposes of direct marketing.
The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how it is used by us.
How can you access the information we hold about you?
You are legally entitled to request access to any records held by the North Essex Parking partnership about yourself. When we receive a request from you in writing, we must normally give you access to everything we have recorded about you. However, we will not let you see any parts of your record which contain:
- confidential information about other people; or
- information a care professional thinks will cause serious harm to you or someone else’s physical or mental wellbeing; or
- if we think that a crime may be prevented or found out by disclosing information to you.
This applies to paper and electronic records. To make a subject access request please visit the Colchester City Council website or email info@colchester.gov.uk
How can you request correction of inaccurate information?
Whilst the North Essex Parking Partnership tries to ensure that any personal data it holds about you is correct, there may be situations where the information it holds is no longer accurate. If this is the case, please contact parking@colchester.gov.uk. You should let us know if you disagree with something written on your file. You may not always be able to change or remove the information. However, we will correct factual inaccuracies and may include your comments in the records.
You can ask to delete information (right to be forgotten)
In some circumstances you can ask for your personal information to be deleted, for example:
- Where your personal information is no longer needed for the reason why it was collected in the first place
- Where you have removed your consent for us to use your information (where there is no other legal reason us to use it)
- Where there is no legal reason for the use of your information
- Where deleting the information is a legal requirement
- Where your personal information has been shared with others, we’ll do what we can to make sure those using your personal information comply with your request for erasure.
Please note that we can’t delete your information where:
- we’re required to have it by law
- it is used for freedom of expression
- it is used for public health purposes
- it is for, scientific or historical research, or statistical purposes where it would make information unusable
- it is necessary for legal claim
You can ask to limit what we use your personal data for
You have the right to ask us to restrict what we use your personal information for where:
- you have identified inaccurate information, and have told us of it
- where we have no legal reason to use that information but you want us to restrict what we use it for rather than erase the information altogether
When information is restricted it can’t be used other than to securely store the data and with your consent to handle legal claims and protect others, or where it’s for important public interests of the UK.
You have the right to ask us to stop using your personal information. However, if this request is approved this may cause delays or prevent us delivering that service. Where possible we’ll seek to comply with your request, but we may need to hold or use information because we are required to by law.
You can ask to have your information moved to another provider (data portability)
You have the right to ask for your personal information to be given back to you or another service provider of your choice in a commonly used format. This is called data portability.
However this only applies if we’re using your personal information with consent (not if we’re required to by law) and if decisions were made by a computer and not a human being.
Right to complain
You have the right to complain about any matter relating to our service, including how we use your personal data. In the first instance please contact our Data Protection Officer by e-mailing DPO@colchester.gov.uk.
How do we keep information secure?
We will take appropriate steps to make sure we hold records about you (on paper and electronically) in a secure way, and we will only make them available to those who have a right to see them. Our security includes:
- encryption
- access controls on systems
- security training for all staff
Our Data Protection and Information Security policies can be found below:
How long do we keep your personal information?
We will keep your personal information while you have an active parking permit and for 6 years after it has been returned. After this time, your personal information will be deleted from our system. In relation to DVLA obtained details, we retain these for 3 years and our enforcement agent companies then retain the details for up to 6 years.
For CCTV footage, upon review of the encrypted imagery and where we believe the vehicle is parked illegally in contravention, static and moving imagery of vehicles is retained in our IT Parking and Traffic Management software for 3 years. Where we believe the vehicle is not parked in contravention upon review, the information is securely stored for 21 days before being deleted.
You do have the right to contact us and ask for your information to be removed prior to that where there is no obligation or statutory requirement for it to be kept. You can exercise this right by emailing parking@colchester.gov.uk.
Where in the world is your information?
The majority of personal information is stored on systems in the UK. But there are some occasions where your information may leave the UK either in order to get to another organisation or if it’s stored in a system outside of the EU.
We have additional protections on your information if it leaves the UK ranging from secure ways of transferring data to ensuring we have a robust contract in place with that third party.
We’ll take all practical steps to make sure your personal information is not sent to a country that is not seen as ‘safe’ either by the UK or EU Governments.
Dash Cams and Body Worn Cameras
North Essex Parking Partnership make use of dash cams in their company vehicles when being used within Colchester and other districts and body worn cameras worn by Civil Enforcement Officers working with the public. NEPP are the users and owners of the recordings. The Council is the Data Controller when images are recorded. If however recordings are handed over to the Police, insurance companies or any other body then the legal responsibility will be transferred to that body as the data controller. In addition to the recordings, paper incident forms are completed by Officers if involved in an incident then recorded electronically in an access controlled folder. The hard copy is then shredded. These records are also the responsibility of North Essex Parking Partnership and Colchester City Council as Data Controller. Body worn camera and dashcam footage is destroyed after 1 calendar month unless it is in relation to an incident then it will be kept until the case is closed either by the police or insurance company.
CCTV
The NEPP operates static and mobile CCTV cameras under the branding ‘Park Safe’ and ‘Park Safe Schools’. These cameras are used to monitor parking restrictions and capture static and moving imagery of vehicles we believe to be parked illegally in contravention. Any static and moving imagery captured is encrypted, reviewed, and transferred to a notice processing system, where it is used to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) to the registered keepers of the contravening vehicles.
Surveys
On occasion we may conduct online surveys. This is used to gauge our service, collect demographic information and other information that we may find useful. These surveys are optional. We may share non-personal, aggregated information with third parties.
Competitions/Promotions
From time to time we operate competitions and promotions. Participation in these is optional. Information submitted might be submitted to third parties: check individual competition rules. You may also be given an option to sign up for a free email newsletter.
Where can I get advice?
If you would like further information or if you have any concerns about how the North Essex Parking Partnership is handling your personal data, these can be raised with Colchester City Council’s Data Protection Officer: Email: dpo@colchester.gov.uk.
Write to: Information Services, Colchester City Council, Rowan House, 33 Sheepen Road, Colchester, CO3 3WG.
For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at:
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number. Alternatively, visit www.ico.org.uk or email casework@ico.org.uk.
Cookies
A cookie is a small piece of text stored on your computer, phone or whatever you use to surf the Internet. Cookies have many uses, but fundamentally they are used to store information about you on your computer.
We use ‘cookies’ to ensure the integrity of transactional processes on our web site. These hold only a sequential session identification number and are deleted at the end of the transaction.
The cookies used are:
- We are currently using third-party software to allow us to track website usage and to survey visitors at random. This software will leave a cookie on your computer. We use this information to get statistics about user activity and to get feedback which helps us to improve the website. This information does not contain personal data and cannot be traced back to an individual.
- google-analytics.com – to allow us to track website usage and activity. Blocking these cookies will have no effect on your experience but will prevent us gathering this data
To delete cookies or reject cookies
The information collected helps us provide a better service. However, if you do not want to receive cookies from this website, select cookie settings under the privacy settings in your browser, then add our domain to the list of websites you do not want to accept cookies from. Under settings you can also delete individual cookies or any cookies that your browser has stored.
To find out more about cookies, including how to control and delete them, visit http://www.aboutcookies.org/. If you set your browser to refuse cookies, please be aware that there may be functionality on various websites that does not work.
Under settings you can also delete individual cookies or any cookies that your browser has stored.
You can find more information on how to delete and control cookies at http://www.aboutcookies.org/how-to-delete-cookies/.
If you set your browser to refuse cookies, please be aware that there may be functionality on various websites that does not work.
Updates to this privacy notice
The North Essex Parking Partnership will continually review and update this privacy notice to reflect changes in our services and feedback from service users, as well as to comply with changes in the law. When such changes occur, we will revise the “last updated” date at the bottom of this notice. We encourage you to periodically visit the web site to review this notice and to be informed of how the North Essex Parking Partnership is protecting your information.